Idaho wrap-up: ‘Faith healing’ bill is dead, Senator gets an ‘F’ in child advocacy, hopes for an interim committee, and another young member of a faith group dies

It would seem that child advocates have closed an agonizing chapter in our fight to help save the lives of children in Idaho who are denied needed medical care due to “faith healing” beliefs. The bill that aimed to protect these children died last week.

But the fight is not over. Child advocates in Boise are looking to form an interim committee, whose goal would be to propose legislation for next year. We will keep you posted on this.

In other news, the CFFP has given Senate Health and Welfare Committee Chairman Lee Heider an “F” in child advocacy. Our reasons stem from the fact that he abandoned important principles, didn’t keep his word, didn’t tell the truth, and showed next to no compassion. Click here to read more about why this prominent Senator—who could have done so much to save the lives of innocent children—received a failing grade.

In conclusion, the Child-Friendly Faith Project finds that Sen. Heider’s failure to help save the lives of children in his state and his refusal to allow Idahoans the chance to speak publicly on the issue constitute actions that are nothing short of reckless.

This is, after all, a life-and-death matter. In fact, we just learned that yet another young person died far too young. Dillon Granden, age 22, died after exhibiting severe symptoms that would have prompted any reasonable person to get him to a doctor, according to a child advocate who was in touch with a family member.

If his name is familiar, it’s likely because Dillon is the older brother of Arrian Granden, 15, whose death was documented in the Governor’s Task Force on Children at Risk. Arrian died of food poisoning and a ruptured esophagus when she was denied medical care. While Dillon was not a minor when he died, yet he still had the rest of his life ahead of him to spend with his wife and raise children.

Without question, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and Idaho legislators have a lot to answer for. In refusing to address this issue of religious child medical neglect, they have left untold numbers of infants, children, and teens vulnerable to suffering, longterm illnesses, disability, and death, just like Dillon, his sister Arrian, and so many others.

Nishant Mohan/ID Public Radio

That said, this legislative session showed some promising milestones:

A bill was filed that aimed to prevent children in the Followers of Christ from suffering disability and death.

Governor Otter spoke publicly about the issue, requesting that the leadership form a legislative work group.

A town hall meeting and panel discussion was held in Boise, allowing Idahoans to voice their concerns.

Sen. Heider faced tough questions from the media about when and if his committee would hear the bill.

Child advocates in Idaho and around the country put lawmakers on alert that they won’t give up until the state institutes better protections for children who are vulnerable to egregious medical neglect.

Joey, if you’re wanting to scare people about seeking medical care, it’s your responsibility to back up your claims with evidence. If you have a study that shows that children’s health improves when medical care is denied, please provide it. Otherwise, I can only conclude that you are trying to fulfill some sort of ideological agenda.
Janet Heimlich

[W]e must acknowledge that our religious communities have not fully upheld their
obligations to protect our children from violence. Through omission, denial and silence,
we have at times tolerated, perpetuated and ignored the reality of violence against
children in homes, families, institutions and communities, and not actively confronted
the suffering that this violence causes. Even as we have not fully lived up to our
responsibilities in this regard, we believe that religious communities must be part
of the solution to eradicating violence against children, and we commit ourselves
to take leadership in our religious communities and the broader society.

To love a child is to love life. To nurture a child is to express hope. Children do not exhaust our strength. They allow us to go beyond ourselves and to discover the power of our own creative talents. To be a mother or a father is more than a profession. It is more than a social calling. It is the fulfillment of one of our deepest needs—our need to touch the future and make it live.

—Rabbi Sherwin Wine

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

—Frederick Douglass

I used to co-facilitate a group for parents who were trying to reunify with their children who had been removed by the state. I remember hearing the story of one mother whose 12-year-old daughter was removed from the home because she had been found walking the streets at 2am along with prostitutes and drug dealers. When her mother was telling the story in the group, she said, “The police brought her to my house and I said, ‘There is nothing I can do about this child. If it is God’s will that He test me with a spiteful child, then so be it. If it is God’s plan that she learn her lessons by getting raped, then I cannot do anything to prevent that from happening. Who am I to interfere with His will?’” In my head, I thought, “Are you serious?” To the group, however, I said, “I see that a lot of you are shaking your heads. What would you like to say to the mother right now?” Most of the group members said she was wrong, that God did not want little girls to get raped. Some members, however, stopped short and said that God’s will was a mysterious thing.

—Jonathan Singer, Host of the Social Work Podcast

The Ten Commandments made room to condemn taking God's name in vain, keeping the Sabbath holy, and prohibiting graven images, but there is no "Thou shalt not rape." The Quran places great priority on not eating pork and on gathering wives and slave girls; but this horrific, devastating crime that has been committed rampantly throughout history against half of humanity doesn't even get an acknowledgement of existence.